Duplicator

Hi to all. I have been looking for a heavy duty rigid wood duplicator. The ones I have found either are to lite, not accurate enough, or out of my price range.

What I am looking for is any plans or ideas to build a rigid duplicator. Any ideas will be gratefully appreciated.

I am a fair machinist with lathe, milling machine, shaper, and MIG and gas welders.

Thank you.

Mike

I really like the Clone4D or 3D style. Seems pretty simple. Maybe I'm wrong. I've looked for plans but only found relating to I believe is called the 'carver copier, or the like. My plan is to roughly reverse engineer the Clone style, from looking at photos, and some internet research. Limited in tooling, I've been figuring ways to mill/cut AL with a wood router and end mill. The big Aluminum side plates mounted to linear bearings for the x,y really turn me on. Sorry can't be of real help. But I feel you, on a similar plane. Good luck.

Daswright,. Thanks. I think I may have a few more tools so if you want to collaborate let me know. Or if you just need some machine work on this project let me know.

I've never used one. Plans are available on google, under wood duplicator.

Hi Mike,

I came across these videos on youtube a couple of years ago. Haven't build it myself, but the satisfaction seems pretty high from those who did. Maybe to weak for your need though ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDPr...1D94FF4FF10854

Good luck!

/Fredrik

the thing to do is if you have a router of a fixed base style, the carver needs to match the counter weight and the movement of both side to side and lift bearings should not have any slop, and the stylus needs to match the diameter of the cutter tip as to where it cuts or sits.

Hi Mike,

My idea is an integral arm on the cutting router itself to use as controlling handle as well as the sensing stylus.
Use any methods of holding router with counter weight or spring load to avoid cutting tool from falling on to the work piece. Since size of the copy is 1:1 no pantographic. arms needed.

A thought with sketch might not be enough to materialize the dream Attachment 15025

Hi , sorry for the delay in responding my web connection has at best been unreliable!!!!! Anyhow do you mean a duplicator to work manipulate wood or constructed from wood. I have a rather ancient Duplicarver T110 which was made by Laskowski Enterprises Inc pm me with your contact details and i'll send you some pics and the handbook in pdf my email is stephen.french @fsmail.net. I'll be happy to help as much as i can do you need this to operate in 2 or 3 dimensions?

Sorry, can't help you there with the duplicator. Sounds like an interesting project though.

Hi Mike,

Can you tell us what exactly it is that you want to duplicate as that will make a difference to the duplicator especially if it is a very specific item.

Martin

Mike,

Here is a link to a video you might be interested in, this is a duplicator that uses a floating router to follow a template.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qt5ui3P9QA&t=124s

I am actually planning on building a duplicator for my wood lathe. I am thinking of using a similar concept to the link, but mine is going to be based more upon a design like a CNC router, but with no stepper motors (his design is a little large and I think it could be designed to take up much less space, and well be able to use the lathe in a normal configuration too). I plan on having three axises that allow the router to move up and down, left and right, and forward to backward on the lathe. This way you can do more than just duplicating with the router, it will also have various templates for the different axises. Depending on your need, you might only need two axises. For the linear motion of each axis, I plan on using ball bearings that will glide on small 'beams.' My whole contraptions will mount on the backside of the lathe, that way you can still use the lathe as normal with chisels and the tool rest. I wish I had a drawing to show my thoughs, but hopefully my description is sufficient enough.

Hopefully this helps, Christian.

Hi,
I normally guide my routers by fence, hand or pivot points, but I saw your variety (not you personally) of profile routing in a video a while ago and was taken aback by the speed, efficiency, effectiveness, and - I'll be honest - a concern about safety. In your case you seem to have that under control, but I'm not altogether clear about your way of supporting the router. Perhaps you've covered that in another video. My wood lathe gets much less use than my metal lathe but maybe profiling will encourage me to use it more. Thanks for your tutorial. HarryD

Thank you all for your input. What I want to duplicate is gunstocks. I have friends with some of the $1000.00-$3000.00 duplicators you can find on e bay. They don't have the rigidity and accuracy that is really needed. I have used a counter balance duplicator that runs on tracks. It was rigid, accurate, and heavy. Real heavy in frame and armature, the router and counter balance did not balance well.

The ones that are the best are completely out of my price range $10,000.00+++. So I thought with all the inventive guys here someone would have plans or invented what I am looking for. Which I admit is an I'll defined ideal.

Thank you one and all for your ideas and feedback.